Why PGA Tour star Akshay Bhatia added a mini-driver to his bag at East Lake

James Richardson
August 31, 2024

Akshay Bhatia started his TOUR Championship debut ranked No 19 in the FedExCup rankings leaving him plenty of work to do to catch up to the leaders.

Bhatia, who began the week eight shots behind No.1 Scottie Scheffler in the Starting Strokes format, is experimenting with his equipment due to the greens at East Lake Golf Club being firmer than they were in previous years after a restoration project.

The most noticeable addition to Bhatia’s collection in Atlanta is a Callaway Ai Smoke Paradym Ti340 Mini Driver. According to Bhatia, he enjoys drawing the ball off the tee and feels more comfortable shooting a controlled draw when using the mini-driver.

“I think there’s a good chance (I’m switching into the mini driver) this week,” said the 22-year-old at the start of the week. “If I have restricted start lines, I can draw a driver, but if I have this mini driver to where I can turn it a lot easier, then it’s a nice option.

“I can hit (my hybrid) 260 yards – and 3-wood for me can either be really good, or I can hit it off the heel one day, or I can get a hot pull. It’s just very inconsistent for me. So the mini driver gives me more options; it’s faster, but it spins a little more, so the consistency of the ball flight is tighter, and that’s what I need.”

His Callaway Rogue ST driver stays in the bag, but Bhatia is switching into a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft for added speed and control.

“It definitely feels like it kicks a little more, and so when I feel like the shaft is really stiff, I feel like you lose control off the face, at least for me,” Bhatia said. “Actually my speed’s gone up like 2 mph.”

Bhatia also opted for a ball change to help deal with the scaled-up green firmness at East Lake.

“I’m going to the softer golf ball, so from the (Callaway Chrome) Tour X to the Tour,” Bhatia said.

“Obviously the greens are really firm this week. Softer for me, like, you want to win major championships, you need to hit it higher and softer. And the golf ball I play is a lower-spinning ball, which is good, say, 16 weeks out of the year, but then you’ve got four majors and then, obviously, some Signature Events play pretty firm.

“I’ve wanted to make this switch for a long time. I feel like there’s no better reason to do it than this week. I mean, it’s kind of a free-for-all and trying to get used to the golf ball, and prep for the majors and some of the bigger events.”

Callaway